The Estate

SITUATED IN GRUDJA, MOZAMBIQUE

19° 48′ 30″ South, 34° 0′ 59″ East

The estate is situated in Grudja, Buzi district, Sofala province, Mozambique. At the start in 2006 this area characterized itself by a dry area of degraded soil that was marginally suited for agriculture. There was a complete lack of infrastructure, remote agricultural development and very poor living standards. Jatropha is a hardy crop that is able to grow on a wide range of soils, including the soils in this area which are sub-optimal for arable agriculture. Moreover the Jatropha plantation controls soil erosion and improves water filtration and this leads after 10-15 years to fertile ground, creating new opportunities for food production.

INDUSTRIAL JATROPHA CRUSHING PLANT

In 2015 we have built a state-of-the-art fully-integrated jatropha oilseed crushing and processing plant with a crushing capacity of 45.000 kg of Jatropha seeds per day.

The oil winning process, in summary, involves the reception of fresh harvested fruits from the plantations, automatic drying of the fruit, separation seeds from hulls and pressing out the crude oil. The crude oil is further treated to purify, dry and degum it for storage and transport. The technology for the oil winning process was developed in the Netherlands in close cooperation with Biodiesel Amsterdam a leading company in the production of 2nd generation biodiesel from waste products. The processing plant is strategically located in the centre of the plantation. In line with our sustainable philosophy the operation is completely self sufficient in energy.